June 24, 2008

bring on the bees

On vacation last summer I was attacked by a wasp and stung for the first time since I was a kid. My arm swelled up like a zucchini someone missed under a leaf in the garden. I am not a fan of anything wasp related so when my husband came home and told me that his company, Herman Miller, has been using organic bees since 2000 instead of pesticides to get rid of wasps at their manufacturing plant in Michigan I was intrigued. I also have been reading about the disappearing bees for a few years now which made me even more excited about this information.

Herman Miller is well known for its environmental approach to furniture design and manufacturing. And they make really cool furniture. Their manufacturing facility in Michigan is called the "Greenhouse" because it was developed as a model for green building practices. So not only has this facility become a model for other companies to build green it also produces honey and encourages bees to thrive. According to TreeHugger only organic beekeepers are reporting no losses of bees from their hives.

Keep up the good work Herman Miller and let's hope my husband gets his hands on some honey as they only give it away. If you want to read more on this, go to the Inhabitat website.

And two fun facts about honey: it is the only food that never spoils (just crystalizes which makes it yummier) and it can be used as a natural antibacterial for wounds.